


one step back and two steps forward

by Acaeria



Series: this light will guide you home [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Blood and Injury, EVERYTHING GOES WRONG, Gen, Minor Character Death, Storytime with your Future Selves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-10 09:09:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11124150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acaeria/pseuds/Acaeria
Summary: “Well, then,” the chalice says, and they can hear amusement in its voice. “You only have one second chance. Make this one count.” And that feels inaccurate, because really, they’ve had far too many second chances. But then the world fades out and they’re standing on the flight deck of the Starblaster.





	1. i wonder when in this timeline we’ll break to the other side

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first in a series I want to do, which will probably be less plot-heavy (simply because there are too many unknowns in the plot for me to even try to guess what's coming) and a lot more about characters and character development and also a lot of the THB dealing with their trauma in a safe environment because, like, they need that. 
> 
> Also time travel is the best and definitely one of my favourite tropes. (Yes, I'm aware this isn't how the Chalice works- no, I don't care). 
> 
> Fic title from Around the World and Back by State Champs; chapter title from Tonight by Tyler Joseph.

It’s the end of the world, again, and everything is chaos. The Hunger is coming down, and there’s nothing they can do to stop it.

One moment, Magnus is fighting back-to-back with Killian and Carey and Noel, and then he’s not. Moments or minutes or years later, on the other side of the quad, Taako turns at a scream to see Killian kneeling, wailing, Carey’s still body in her arms. 

Near the door to the hangar, protecting the line of people attempting to flee, Merle turns to see one of the Hunger’s scouts leaping for him, only for it to be shot out of the air by a spell. He spins around to see Angus McDonald, brandishing his wand, giving Merle a determined smile. He opens his mouth to say something- but never has the chance to. He sways, and Merle sees the dark shape behind him, the blood staining his front. The kid is dead before he even hits the ground.

Magnus finds himself outside Lucretia’s office once again, except the dome is half-caved in. Panicked, he rushes in, and sees Lucretia, sprawled on the floor, staff in one hand, Davenport cradled in the other, and the grand relics lined up behind her. She makes eye contact with him, and she looks desperate, more desperate than he’s ever seen in a hundred years. There are tears in her eyes.

“Magnus, I-” she says, but doesn’t finish, instead sending a bolt of magic at the door to blast back their would-be assailant. Magnus realises, in that moment, two things: one, her legs are  _ shattered _ , crushed by some of the falling debris; two, Davenport is covered in blood and he isn’t  _ breathing _ . And neither is Magnus, suddenly struck by the hopelessness of the situation.

Then, he has an idea, and walks up to Lucretia. She flinches, hugging Davenport close to her chest, but Magnus ignores her, instead picking up one of the relics lying behind her. Lucretia’s breath catches.

“Magnus-” she says warningly, then stops. Sighs. Deflates, a little, pursing her lips. “Fix this, won’t you, Magnus? Save us. Save  _ them _ .” She looks up at him imploringly, broken. And at that, something inside Magnus breaks a little, too. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry. There’s no time to explain, and you’ll never get your answers, but… I was trying to do the right thing. There’s no excuse for what I’ve done, but…” She sobs. “I was trying to do the right thing.”

“I know,” Magnus whispers. “It’s not… It’s not quite clear, yet- there’s a lot that’s still fuzzy. But- I know you, Lucretia. I know… Whatever you were trying to do, you never wanted to hurt us.” He steadies himself. “I’m going to fix this. Lucretia? I’m going to make this right.”   
“I know you will,” she says, and smiles. “Thank you. And… good luck.”   
Magnus nods, turns, and walks out the room.

It doesn’t take him long to find them. He doesn’t know how, but he knows where they are, almost instinctively. Maybe it’s all the time they’ve spent together that’s formed some kind of bond, like an invisible thread connecting them across the chaos.

Or maybe he’s just lucky.

Merle’s by the hangar, and Magnus doesn’t even explain, just grabbing him and running, pulling him along for the ride. To his credit, Merle doesn’t say anything, just doing his best to keep up- but Magnus supposes he’s seen the cup. Knows what he’s about to do.

Taako is shooting flames across the quad, and doesn’t  _ that _ sting, but he shoves that deep down to deal with later. Taako yelps as magnus wraps his other arm around him, and barely has time to speak before Magnus activates the Temporal Chalice.

And they’re back in that white space.

June isn’t here any more, but they can hear the chalice speak nonetheless, a disembodied voice echoing around them. 

“Hello again. Have you changed your minds?”   
“Take us back to the Starblaster,” Magnus spits, impatient. 

“Didn’t I explain last time that only one-”   
“I. Don’t. Care,” Magnus snaps. 

“Whoa there, my man,” Taako says, placing a hand on his arm. “Maybe, like, chill a little there.” Magnus takes a breath, forcing himself to calm down.

“Sorry,” he mutters. Then, to the voice, he says, “Listen, we  _ need _ to go back. You need to send us- all three of us- back there so we can fix this, because if you don’t- if you don’t,  _ nothing _ will exist anymore. Not us, and not you. So  _ please _ .” 

“...This situation is… unprecedented. Sending you back so far, and with three of you… It won’t be what I offered you last time. You won’t come out unscated. But I can do it, if a little… unorthodoxly.” 

“We’ll take it,” Magnus says, immediately. Nothing happens, and he wonders why for a moment, before realising. He turns to Merle and Taako. “Are you guys… coming?”

“We’re not… going to win, are we?” Taako asks. He glances at Merle, who shakes his head. “Then sure. I’m up for not dying!”   
“Not dying it is,” Merle agrees. Magnus nods at them, a smile tugging at his lips even despite the seriousness of the conversation.

“Well, then,” the chalice says, and they can hear amusement in its voice. “You only have one second chance. Make this one count.”   
And that feels inaccurate, because really, they’ve had far too many second chances. But then the world fades out and they’re standing on the flight deck of the Starblaster. Magnus is still facing Merle and Taako, but he sees them stiffen, and his stomach drops.

Something feels…  _ off _ , somehow.

“Uh, what the hell?!” demands a familiar voice. Slowly, skin prickling, Magnus turns, to see seven figures in red robes staring at them.

_ Shit. _

* * *

 Taako has had, by all circumstances, a long fuckin’ day. That last skirmish over the light of creation, and _dying_ , which really, he tries to avoid, has taken a lot out of him. And even if his body, recreated by the white threads, doesn’t feel the effects, _he_ certainly does. He is absolutely, mentally, physically, exhausted. Really, all he wants right now is a nap.

Instead, he’s stood staring at a trio of impossibly familiar faces, and feeling incredibly fuckin’ fed up. 

“Aw, shit,” his not-quite doppelganger says. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Lup snaps, and her umbrella is pointed straight at the three newcomers. 

“Look,” says the Magnus lookalike, “I know this is confusing, and really weird, but I promise, we can explain-”   
“Then get explainin’, bucko, because I don’t have all day but I  _ do _ have a twitchy spell finger.” 

“Hey, Lup, maybe you should calm down a little,” Barry tries. 

“I’ll calm down when they give me a reason to!” Lup tells him, not moving her gaze from the three intruders. Taako almost feels pity for them, along with relief that that glare isn’t directed at  _ him _ . 

“Okay, okay!” the Magnus looklike says, holding his arms up in surrender. “Uh… What cycle is this?”   
“Forty-nine,” Lucretia says, helpfully.

“Forty-nine, right,” Magnus Two says. “We’re Magnus, Merle and Taako from, uh… Hang on, lemme do the math… Sixty-one? Is that right?”   
“Yeah, I think so,” says Taako Two, and man, Taako will  _ never _ get over the uncanniness of hearing his own voice come out of someone else’s mouth.

“Right, sixty-one years in the future. And we’re here because we’re trying to fix things.”

“Fix what?” Davenport asks from his chair at the controls. 

“We, uh…” Magnus Two seems to struggle for words.

“We made a mistake,” Merle Two says. “Or, rather a lot of mistakes, amiright?” He laughs, but seeing nobody else is laughing, stops. “Uh, what was I saying…”

“We used the light of creation,” Taako Two says, “To make seven objects. We thought that, maybe, if we used the light up… It would stop hunting us. It’d get thrown off. And we were right! It took, like, a decade to find us. But…”   
“But the objects, we couldn’t- we couldn’t control them. We couldn’t  _ hide _ them. People found out, and people wanted them, and we couldn’t… we couldn’t do  _ anything _ to stop it. People  _ died _ , so  _ many _ people, and there was  _ nothing _ we could do. Until… there  _ was _ . And that was the second mistake… Hell, probably not even the second. Maybe the second-hundredth mistake. And almost ten years later, the Hunger came, and we couldn’t  _ stop _ it. All we could do was use one of those objects to come back, and to try and stop  _ everything _ before it happens.” Magnus Two stops talking, breathing heavily. 

“That’s…” Barry seems taken aback.

“Is that the object?” Lup asks, pointing her umbrella at the cup Magnus Two was holding. Magnus Two nodded. 

“This is the Temporal Chalice.”   
“Give it to me.”   
Magnus Two narrows his eyes, steps back. “ _ Excuse _ me?” 

“Like, I don’t know you. I don’t  _ know _ you! You say you’re my friend, and sure, you  _ look _ like him too, but there’s some powerful magic out there. And you say that’s a super-powerful magical object that allows you to travel back in time? I don’t want a total stranger running around with it.”   
“It’s not safe,” Magnus Two stresses. “I don’t- these things, they mess with your mind, try to get you to use them- and if you do, they  _ destroy _ everything. And I don’t want that to happen to  _ you _ .” 

“And yet you’re holding it and have allegedly  _ used _ it,” Lup points out.

“I  _ made _ it!” Magnus Two cries, and doesn’t  _ that _ cause a stir. Taako raises an eyebrow; everyone knew, Magnus Burnsides wasn’t a magic user. “The only people immune to the relics’ thrall are the ones who made them.”   
“You’d probably be fine,” Taako Two says. “But it’s not- it’s not guaranteed, you know? I ended up thralled by the Sash, once, even though I created one of these things, because it wasn’t the one  _ I _ made.”   
“So I’ll take it,” says Magnus, stepping forward and holding out a hand. “If what you say is true, and  _ you’re _ me, and you- I-  _ we _ made this thing, it should be fine, right?”

Magnus Two nods, and, reluctantly, hands the cup over. There’s a moment of tension as Magnus takes the cup, and stands there for a moment, looking at it, then he shrugs.

“Okay, so that was anticlimactic,” he says, and the entire room breathes a sigh of relief. “So, if you’re me, tell me one thing that only _ I _ would know,” he says to his double, and Magnus Two seems flustered for a moment.

“Um- uh- you’re afraid of spiders, you’re allergic to sulfa-based medications, you have phantasma, your favourite candy is fantasy turkish delights, you took a potion so you’d never have to maintain your facial hair and it tasted like licorice-”

“Okay, okay, I believe you!” Magnus cried, just a moment too late.

“Seriously, Magnus?” Merle cried. “You’ve been  _ cheating _ ?!” 

“It’s not cheating, it just keeps it looking nice! I grew this all by myself, thank-you-very-much!”   
“Uh-huh,  _ sure _ ,” Merle drawls. “Magnus, you’re officially cast out of the facial hair club.”   
“What?” Magnus cries. “No, Merle, you can’t!”   
“Sorry, Magnus, but we don’t allow cheaters.”   
“But-” The banter is cut off by a sound akin to vomiting, and everyone turns to see Taako’s double doubled over, clutching his stomach, blood dripping down his chin.

“Ugh,” he groans. “Think I might’ve lost an organ on the way here.”   
“Taako!” Merle and Magnus Two move as one, grabbing him and lowering him to the ground, talking in hushed whispers as Taako Two throws up more blood. Taako doesn’t know whether to go and help or turn and leave- honestly, watching his future self die wasn’t a situation he’d ever imagined himself in, though, with the way his life has been going recently, maybe it should have been. 

“Hey, Merle- other Merle-” Magnus Two raises his head and beckons Merle over. “Can you do something?!”   
“Why can’t the other guy do it?” Merle grumbles.    
“Spell slots!” Merle Two snaps. 

“You’re seriously worried about saving those at a time like-”   
“I’m  _ out _ ,” Merle Two hisses. Merle stops, then sighs, and waddles over to them, muttering spells under his breath until Taako Two stabilizes. 

“Thanks, my man, I really owe ya one,” Taako Two slurs. 

“Don’t mention it,” Merle grumbles, rubbing his bloodied hands against his red uniform jacket. 

“Hey, is it alright if we just like, crash somewhere?” Magnus Two asks. “I haven’t slept in… Gods, I don’t even know. Three days?”

“Shit, dude, are you alright?” Lup is definitely less on edge now, her umbrella almost completely lowered and a look of concern on her face.

“Just peachy,” Magnus Two sighs. “It’s just… been an extremely long day.”

“Get some rest,” Davenport says kindly from the other side of the room, still piloting the ship. “I’m sure the guys will let you crash in their- your rooms, right?”

“Thanks, but I think we’ll just go to the med bay,” Magnus Two says with a smile. “Get out of your hair for a while, get patched up.”   
“When you’re feeling better, I want that story, alright?” Lup says, brandishing her umbrella at him again, but clearly joking this time. 

“I think we all do,” Lucretia says. 

“Sure, we can do that,” Magnus says. Together, the three future-selves make their way over to the doors, heading out into the hallway. “See you.”   
“Goodnight.”

“Thanks, again.”

Silence fills the flight deck for a couple of moments after the doors close.

“Holy shit,” Lup says, eventually, breaking it.

“That about sums it up,” Taako agrees. 

“They looked… they looked really rough.”

“The curiosity is killing me,” Magnus says. “Just what happens sixty years from now that’s so…  _ bad _ ?” He looks down at the cup in his hands, as if expecting it to tell him (which, Taako reflected, wasn’t exactly a bad idea- it was called the Temporal Chalice, after all), but nothing happens. 

“I guess we’ll just have to wait,” Davenport says with a sigh.

After a couple more moments, Taako starts to walk, making a beeline for the door.

“Hey, where’re you going?” Lup asks, catching his arm. Taako shakes her off, but not unkindly.

“Those three had the right idea. I’m going to bed. It’s been  _ far _ too long a day.” 


	2. every single choice we make made us exactly who we are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So,” Taako says, leaning forward and placing his hands together. “Where do we start this thing?”  
> “I think,” Magnus says, drawing out the words, “We should start in a bar in Neverwinter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't like the latter half of this chapter much at all but idk how else to do that scene so. i also really didn't know how to do the ending so i'm sorry it's so abrupt and rushed gah. 
> 
> chapter two, also known as a recount of the entire series so far in bad and repetitive prose 
> 
> i apologise for spelling carey's name wrong in the previous chapter and the multiple spelling mistakes and stuff. i will go back and fix them one day. one day...
> 
> also, i don't know when the next fic in this series will be up (i haven't written it yet as i've been sidetracked with a fic about small taako and lup that should hopefully be finished soon!) but hopefully it won't be very long !!
> 
> today's chapter title is from the song lighting fires by the gospel youth

Taako wakes feeling like shit, but feeling slightly  _ less _ like shit than he had the night before. And the night before that. Really, he could be worse.

Climbing down from the bed in the ship’s infirmary, he stumbles slightly, swaying on his feet. He reaches out and steadies himself on the bedframe, and looks up at himself in the mirror on the other side of the room.

Well,  _ shit _ .

He hasn’t had time to look at himself properly, after his sacrifice in Wonderland- too much happened too quickly. But now, he has time and opportunity and he really wishes he didn’t. 

His lips are  _ thinner _ , as is his hair. His cheeks are slightly sunken, his nose seems more crooked, his eyes are adorned by dark bags beneath them. His skin doesn’t glow anymore. It probably wouldn’t look as bad if he weren’t covered in mottled purple and black and yellow bruises, if he didn’t have blood staining his hair, if he didn’t look sick and  _ tired _ . 

“Hachie machie,” he mutters under his breath, readying the umbrastaff in order to cast disguise person on himself. Then, he stops, struck by a thought that takes his breath away and makes him freeze up.

_ He doesn’t look like Lup anymore. _

And, well, isn’t that just an entirely different kettle of fish?  _ Lup _ . He remembers her now, and it makes his chest ache with the weight of something missing. He squashes down those feelings, casting the spell before he can think anymore. Compartmentalise it. Repress all those feelings, stuff them in a jar, and open it later, when he’s prepared to deal with them. (Ignoring the fact that he’ll never be ready.) (Ignoring the fact that that jar will stay closed forever.) 

He makes his way out of the infirmary, leaving Merle and Magnus snoring behind him. He lets his feet guide him, arriving at the kitchen with the speed of someone who lived on this ship for a century. He’s not too surprised to find there are others already there- his past self and Lup and Barry and Davenport and Lucretia, all sat around the breakfast bar and waiting for some pancakes to cook. 

It takes them a moment to notice him, but when they do, they  _ stop- _ staring at him, frozen, all conversation ceasing, only the sound of the sizzling batter filling the room.

“Uh, yo,” Taako greets lamely, raising a hand in half-wave. Then, “What, d’ya want an autograph or something?” 

At that, everyone goes back to their various beverages. Lup glances down at the pancakes, shaking the pan slightly, before glancing back up.

“Goodmorning, Taako,” she greets. “You look… better, this morning.” 

“Feelin’ better,” Taako says, noncommittally. “No longer on the brink of death. ‘S nice.”

“Right.”

It’s awkward for another couple moments after Taako sits down at the bar. Finally, Barry breaks it.

“So, will we be getting that explanation any time soon soon, or…?”   
“Whoa there, hold your horses, my man,” Taako says, holding a hand out towards him. “I just woke up. Haven’t even had breakfast yet. The other two are still fast asleep! I ain’t tellin’ this story by myself, homie.” 

“Ah,” Barry says, awkwardly staring down at his coffee. “Sorry.”   
“Nah, it’s fine, my dude,” Taako says, looking down, running his finger against the edge of the counter. “It’s... totally fine.”

* * *

It’s several hours when they commune in the common room. Magnus and Merle had risen a couple hours after Taako, and were more than happy to eat Lup’s quickly-cooling pancakes (honestly, Taako was too- when was the last time he’d had a decent meal? Had he ever?). Upon seeing him, Merle had offered nothing more than a fond but grouchy wave, in true Merle fashion. Magnus, on the other hand, had looked at him with something akin to pity, and Taako made a show of ignoring it, dumping his dirty dish in the sink loudly and turning the tap as aggressively as he could manage. 

But, they manage to get to this point with no explosions or outbursts or ill-timed questions from their past selves, and now they sit, scattered around the couches and chairs and beanbags and sprawled on the rug. It’s a familiar scene, but for the three extra people in the room.

“So,” Taako says, leaning forward and placing his hands together. “Where do we start this thing?”

“I think,” Magnus says, drawing out the words, “We should start in a bar in Neverwinter.”

“That sounds good to me,” Merle says. “Give ‘em a mystery to solve.” Taako snorts.

“A mystery? They’ll figure it out, like, ten minutes in. Not only are they entire fuckin’ leages smarter than us, they have like, all of the missing pieces.”

“So, we’re in a bar in Neverwinter,” Magnus says, ignoring him, “Which is, of course, the capital of Faerun. And we’ve been working together for like, a couple of months? And this dwarf, Gundren Rockseeker, has a job for us. He calls it, ‘the last job we’ll ever need to take’.”

“That sounds… ominous,” Lup says. “And- wait,  _ what _ ?”

“We’ve known each other for  _ years _ ,” Past Taako points out. “ _ Decades _ , even!”

“No, we’ve known each other for a couple months,” Taako says, smirking. “Now, shut up, and let us tell the story, or else we’ll be here all day.”

And so they continue the story, telling of dead horses in the road and bugbears offering tea and a strange orc woman speaking static in a cave and their victory against the Black Spider. They continue to a room containing only a skeleton, and there they falter, just for a moment.

“So, what’s in the room?” Lucretia presses as they all go silent. 

“Uh, there’s, uh-” Magnus stammers.

“A skeleton,” Taako interrupts bluntly. “A skeleton in a red robe.” The room goes deathly silent. 

“A… familiar red robe?” Davenport asks. 

“Maybe,” Taako says. “I mean, it sure wasn’t at the time, and the memory’s a little fuzzy… But I have a pretty good idea of who it was.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, other than the robe, this skeleton has two things on it-”   
“A gauntlet, and an umbrella.”

They continue from there, telling them about a flaming dwarf and a frantic ride back to Phandalin and an orc boy rescued from ruffians and an ill-timed arrow. About a well and the destruction of an entire city and a glass orb come from the sky. About a strange base floating above the clouds, made to look like a moon, with its dizzying effect and long elevator and the most beautiful song they heard within it. About a strange dark room, guarded and locked, and what they were asked within it. About the liquid they were asked to drink, and what it did to them, the things they remembered and what they saw, floating in the tank above.

“Wait- what?” Past Magnus says, sitting forward. “That’s- that’s our fish!”

“That it is,” Magnus agrees. “Johan tells us it’s called the Voidfish, and then tells us to head to the director’s office.” 

They explain about the Bureau and their bracers (Taako and Merle show theirs off; Magnus hides his hands behind his back) and the destruction of the gauntlet. “Then,” Magnus says, “The director claps her hands and says-” He stops for a moment, looking thoughtful.

“What’s taking so long?” Taako asks.

“I’m channeling my inner director in order to do the best impression.”

“Why?”   
“Because, like, it just doesn’t have the same effect, you know? Ah, here, got it. So, the director claps and says, ‘Davenport!’.” The entire room jumps at that.

“That,” Taako says, “Was awful. It was more like, like,  _ ‘Davenport _ !’. All sing-song, like that, you see.”

“Does it matter?” Magnus asks. Taako nods.

“It just doesn’t have the same effect, you know?”

“I’m sorry,” Lup interrupts them, “But  _ Davenport _ ?” 

“Yeah, Davenport,” Merle says. “And out of this side room comes a fancily-dressed gnome man who can only say his own name, and he’s carrying a tray-”   
“Who can… only say his own  _ name _ ?” Davenport echoes hesitantly. Taako nods.

“Yeah, that’s right. Only thing he ever says.” Davenport nods, swallowing. He looks… shaken. They carry on.

They carry on past their initiation trial (“Who’s idea was it to have me be the bravest, again?! Like, have you  _ met _ me?!”) to a murder on a train and a town full of Tom Bodettes and a droopy conductor and a juicy wizard and a battle arena champion and a genius boy detective. 

“Oh,” Barry says as they talk about their interviews of the passengers, “So Jenkins is alive and the body was the engineer’s?”

There’s a moment of silence, and then all three of them let out a groan. “I told you!” Taako cries. “Barely a mystery. Smarter than us. Got it  _ way _ earlier.” 

“Where was Barry when you needed him?” Merle asks. “Like, seriously!”

The next story to tell is the solstice festival, which gets a few chuckles and a lot of confused questions about why this story is important- questions that stop as soon as they describe what happened on the quad that night, the dark sky and the eyes staring down at them and the director’s frazzled demeanor. No questions are asked. They carry on.

They carry on past a desert town and an illegal blood sport and a pair of star-crossed lovers becoming a tree and a failed poison attempt that left their host dead. And then they stop.

“Time… stops,” Magnus says. “And behind Captain Captain Bane is a figure with no face, wearing a red robe.” He tells them what the red robe said, and the room is silent for a good moment after he finishes.

“That… doesn’t make any sense,” Past Taako says. “Who  _ is _ that?” 

“Well, it ain’t any of us three!” Taako jokes. “You’ve got like, four options. Try and guess!”   
“I don’t... like this,” Lup says. “Everything’s all…  _ wrong _ . This story feels...  _ off _ .”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Taako says. And they continue, past the director’s warning and the destruction of the sash to a Candlenight’s party that is interrupted by a call on the director’s emergency stone of farspeech.

“And, this voice comes out, right?” Taako says. “And it’s that Lucas guy, and he’s calling, ‘Lucretia?’.”

“Lucretia…” Barry echoes, eyes widening with the realisation. 

“And the director like, stiffens up,” Magnus says. “She panics, and walks off, and we can hear her, like, telling him not to call her that.”

“Wait, wait, stop right there,” Lup says, holding out a hand. “ _ Lucretia _ is the  _ director _ of the  _ Bureau of Balance _ ?”

“Yeah,” Merle says. “Told ya ya were a good leader, right, Lucretia?”

Lucretia shakes her head. “I don’t… I don’t understand.”   
“Neither do I!” Lup says. Then, she stops. “Wait… there’s another voidfish, isn’t there? There  _ has _ to be. That’s the only explanation for this. There’s another voidfish, and Lucretia’s keeping it hidden from everyone, and she’s keeping these memories for you for… some  _ reason _ ?”

“Don’t look at me,” Taako says. “I’ve got  _ no idea _ what she was thinking.” 

They tell the story of Lucas’ lab, of killer robots and crystal golems and a family of hugbears and a fight in anti-gravity and a crystal and a familiar voice and a moment of pure and utter panic.

“So  _ that’s _ what happened to your arm,” Past Magnus says, looking at Merle. 

“Yeah,” Merle says sourly. “Some fuckin’ teammate, chopping of my goddamn arm-”   
“Oh, imagine that,” Magnus says, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Losing an arm. What a tragedy. Really, truly, I pity you.” They go silent. Taako sighs, loudly.

“If you two are done having your pity party, I’d really like to move on.”

They talk about the cosmoscope and the reappearance of the red robe and his freak out and Kravitz and the fight with the robots. They tell the story of their final battle against Legion, about Magnus’ card game against the Grim Reaper, and Noelle returning with them and Maureen moving on and their threat to Lucas to never show his face again. They tell them about their return to the moon, and then they sort of scatter. Merle mentions, briefly, that he took Lucretia on a spa date and, looking back on it now, really wishes he hadn’t. Magnus tells them about his training with Carey and teaching her how to carve a duck. Taako tells them about his magic lessons with Angus, then stops, swallowing, struggling to find the words.

“Then, uh… The umbrastaff, it, like… Acts of its own accord? And it burns into the wall, three letters.”

“Three letters?” Davenport asks.

“Yeah, uh… It spells out, L, U, P.”

“L, U, P…” Lup echoes, then stops. “L, U, P. Lup. That’s me.”   
“That’s you,” Taako says, and doesn’t look at her, staring down at the umbrella by his side. 

“So I died?” Lup asks, and to her credit, she sounds calm. Taako knows that she can’t be, knowing what she knows- that she died alone, without any of her friends, and her own brother didn’t even  _ remember _ her. Past Taako leans back against her legs, offering comfort, looking troubled.

“Yeah,” Magnus says, when nobody else does. “Lup, I’m-”   
“It’s fine,” Lup says. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen this time, right?” She sounds determined, lifting her chin up in the air definitely. Then, “Hey, Taako Two, are you okay?”

Taako glances up, startled, and nods. “Uh-huh. I’m fine. Totally peachy.”

Lup nods. Magnus clears his throat, and continues the story. Nobody mentions the tears in Taako’s eyes.

Magnus and Merle talk about refuge, and leave Taako the space to not have to say anything. The mood is somber as they talk about the endless loops, about the quarry and the temple, about robbing a bank and tricking a loving fan. They talk about finding Isaac and June, and the chalice- and then they hesitate. 

“It shows us, uh…”   
“It shows us our worst mistakes,” Merle says. “The things we regret most. And it gives us the chance to fix them.”

“And we… We all refuse. We all know that, well, we know better. So the chalice tries one last time, and shows us Phandalin. And again, we refuse. And… maybe out of spite, it shows us all these scenes, of the city’s inhabitants, going about their day, and being swallowed by the flame. And then we’re back in the quarry, and we’re holding the chalice, and June is a little girl again.”

“What did you see?” Past Magnus asks. “You don’t remember any of this, so… What was it?”

“Guys?” Magnus asks softly. Taako shakes his head.

“No offence, but it’s literally  _ none of your fucking business _ .” 

Merle shrugs. “Sure, why not. It was my arm.” He waves his soulwood arm in the air. “But, really… I didn’t care? It wasn’t worth losing everything else for, you know?”

“Magnus?” Lucretia asks quietly. Magnus shakes his head.

“I uh, don’t want to talk about it.”   
“So, what happens next?” Lup asks, breaking the silence. 

They talk about the worm and the chase through the mines, and agonising moments that Taako spent deliberating (purposely, if Taako’s smirk was anything to go by), and breaking through the bubble to the other side. They tell them about Istus’ message, and the reappearance of the Red Robe. 

“I have a question,” Lup says, raising her hand. “Uh, why the fuck is Barry acting like that?”

The three of them glance at each other and shrug. “Fuck if we know,” Taako says. 

They talk about the seven years passing in ten minutes, about the statues built of them and the entirely different town they return to. The crew smiles when they find out Cassidy became the elder, snicker at Taako’s attempts to placate Ren. Then, at the end of his meeting with June, Magnus pauses.

“And I uh, I hear a voice. And it’s the Red Robe. And he says, uh, ‘ _ if you open that it will make it that much harder for me to help you _ ’.” 

“So, what do you do?” Past Magnus asks.

“I open it, of course,” Magnus snorts. “And it’s… It’s the blueprints for the statue in the middle of town. But underneath it, there’s another sheet of paper, and it’s the same thing. Except in this version of the statue, the red robe has his hood down. And you can see his face. And it’s  _ my _ face.” 

There’s a moment of silence.

“Holy shit, dude,” Past Magnus says. 

“The worst thing was,” Magnus says, “Is that I couldn’t comprehend it. I had all the pieces I needed, but whenever I tried to put them together, I just… couldn’t. There was just static.”

“The voidfish,” Lucretia supplies. Magnus nods.

“The voidfish.” He tells them about his insomnia and his swim with the voidfish.

“Wait, you did  _ what _ ?” Merle interrupts. 

“My dude? That’s gross. That’s totally gross. That’s  _ disgusting _ ,” Taako says, pulling a face. 

Magnus tells him about the visions he was given, that make so much more sense now that the static isn’t there, now that he knows what he does. Then, when Merle and Taako have nothing else to add, it’s time to move on to their last mission- it’s time to go to Wonderland.

It’s easy, at first, talking about the speech Lucretia delivered to them in her office, about her own experiences there. 

“Wait… Lucretia lost  _ twenty years _ of her life?” Lup says, and she sounds alarmed. “That’s… humans don’t live very long, right? That’s not… That’s not good.”

“Honestly?” Magnus says. “Not to like, minimise her suffering or whatever, but… Lucretia was  _ lucky _ . She got  _ out _ with like, all of her limbs. And not many people leave that place.”

“...This is gonna end badly,” Past Magnus says, “Isn’t it?”   
They talk about their journey to Wonderland and the friends they made along the way; about their warm welcome and the two very stylish elf liches that ran it. They talk about their first round at the wheel (with much wincing but no comment from their audience), and about the game of trust or forsake, and about the monster factory. 

“So we come out of this fight, right, and we’re like half dead. Or, at the very least,  _ I _ am,” Taako says. “So Merle heals us- fuckin’ miracle, right?- only for those two vogue elves to show up and reverse it, and tell us that in Wonderland,  _ there’s no healing _ .” 

“But-” Lup stutters- “But you’ll  _ die _ . Like, maybe not straight away, but if this carries on…”

“Oh, trust me, we were well aware,” Taako says flippantly. 

“But they don’t want you to die,” Merle says. “I mean, eventually, sure, but what they want is for you to stay alive on the  _ brink _ of death and suffer.”

“Why?” Past Magnus asks. 

“We’re getting to that,” Merle says. And they continue on to meeting Cam and the second round of the wheel (even more wincing and cringing this time, furtive glances at Merle’s eye and surprised looks at Magnus).

“But you don’t  _ look _ that much older,” Past Magnus says.

“We’ll get to that,” Magnus tells him.

They talk about the second round of trust or forsake and Heart Attack! and the true sight (“That’s what that was?! Fuck, Taako, I thought I was goin’ crazy!”). Then it’s time for the next round of the wheel, and this time, there  _ are _ questions. 

“You have kids?” Lucretia asks Merle curiously. Merle shuffles uncomfortably.

“Ah, yeah, I-”   
“Honestly? Merle being a deadbeat dad is the least surprising and least interesting fact I’ve learned about him,” Taako says. 

“Thanks,” Merle says sarcastically. “I can always count on you to say something flattering.”   
“Flatter yourself, old man.” And then,

“Oh gods, Magnus, that sucks,” Lup says, putting her hand on his arm. He blinks, shaken out of a daze.

“Uh… what does? Sorry, I just totally… spaced out there...” Lup shakes her head.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter.”

And then, “But you look exactly the same as always,” Davenport says to Taako. Taako shrugs.

“Magic, my man.”

“Wait, what?” Lup says, a disbelieving laugh in her voice. “You… You’re seriously expending a spell slot on something so…  _ small _ ?” She gives him a  _ look _ . “You know we don’t care, right?”   
“Yeah, my man,” Past Taako says. “Who the fuck cares!”

“I do,” Taako says pointedly, folding his arms.

They talk about the Boss Rush and sauté and the catwalk (which garners chuckles but not much else). Then, they talk about the liches’ speech and the animus bell and Edward in Magnus’ body and the attempt to make them return to that place.

“So I say,” Taako says, “‘I got a fuckin’ idea for ya’-”

“And he passes out,” Merle says. “Just drops to the ground.”

“Wait, what?” Davenport says.

“I cast  _ soul jar _ ,” Taako says, and a look of realisation comes over the others. “And I look around and I see like, Edward’s outline over Magnus’ body, and I see Magnus, and he’s getting pulled into a portal to the astral plane.”   
“So what do you do?” Barry asks.

“I go grab him, of course. I grab Magnus and I pull him back from the portal.”

“And I cast  _ planar ally _ ,” Merle says, “And I grab Taako, and pull them both back into the material plane.”

There’s a moment of silence and then, “Holy shit.”

“It was pretty cool,” Magnus admits with a small smile. “Anyway, so I wake up on the floor, which is weird. But I just get straight up, and jump onto the catwalk- and I see myself in front of me.”   
“And we,” Merle says, gesturing to Taako, “See one of the mannequins jump up to stand next to us and he says-”

“‘I’ll be having my body back, you undead fuck’,” Magnus says, grinning. Lup claps her hands in glee. The others are all grinning. 

“This sounds like the start of a great battle scene.”   
And it is. They tell them about the following fight, and how it ends- with the Umbrastaff acting of its own accord and obliterating Edward. 

“Wait,” Merle says, “I just realised something.”   
“What?” Magnus asks.

“Lup totally saved our asses,” Merle says, grinning. “A competent woman saved us yet again.”  

“Holy shit,” Taako says. “Fuck, you’re right.”

“Cool, cool, I’m glad I saved the day- what happens next?” Lup says, leaning forward, eyes bright. 

They tell them about Lydia’s fit of rage, about her last spell, and how she dies. 

“And we look over,” Taako says, “And Magnus’ stuff is lying in a pile on the floor. But his body  _ isn’t there _ .” 

“Shit,” Past Taako breathes.

“Can I just say,” Magnus says, “Being a mannequin? It sucks. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

They talk about the collapse of wonderland, their trip back to Barry’s cave and his amnesiac state. They tell the story of their return to the moon, of a body in a tank in a storage room (“Uh, what the fuck?” “Honestly? Same.”), of a trip to the voidfish and a journey down a long corridor and magical traps and Johan and dying and waking up and Angus and the voidfish and Lucretia and Barry and Carey and The Hunger and Davenport’s voice breaking and a door slamming open and the utter  _ chaos _ that followed. 

“Magnus, you went back for the cup- did you see Lucretia?” Merle asks as they talk about how they got separated. Magnus nodded.

“Her office had come down, and she was- she’d got caught under the rubble. She’d managed to drag herself out, but- she was doing too good. Davenport was doing worse.”

“Did she… say anything? To you?” Lucretia asks, quietly. 

“Yeah, uh… she said that she was sorry. And that… she was trying to do the right thing. And she asked me to save everyone.” He shakes his head. “Did, uh- did any of you guys see Carey and Killian? I lost them in the crowd.”   
“I did,” Taako says. His eyes look haunted. “Killian was… she was screaming.” 

“Was she hurt?” Magnus asks, panicked. Taako shakes his head.

“I don’t... think so. But Carey… Carey wasn’t moving.” Magnus froze.

“What?” he breathed. 

“Sorry, Magnus.” A moment of silence, and then. “Did uh… did anyone see Angus?”   
“He went down,” Merle says, voice thick. “Dead before he hit the ground.”

“No,” Magnus says, shaking his head, looking absolutely shattered. “Not… not Ango…”

“It’ll be alright,” Lucretia says. “You’re here, remember? It hasn’t happened yet. We can still… We can still save them.”

“She’s right,” Taako agrees. “That’s why we’re  _ here _ .” 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Magnus says, nodding, wiping tears from his eyes. “I just…”

“Yeah,” Taako says, quietly, “I know.” Then, he stands up abruptly. “I’m going for a walk.” 

“Things get… things get pretty bad, huh?” Davenport says. Then, “We’re going to do our best to help you guys. If there’s anything you need, anything important we need to do- just say it. It’s uh, really the least we can do.”

“Thanks, Cap’nport,” Magnus says, with a smile. “Really… thanks.”

 


End file.
